From the Archives: Young Republicans clean a vandalized billboard

In 1954, Republican party activist Mildred Younger ran for a state Senate seat. Opponents tried various tricks including vandalizing one of her billboards. A short, non-byline story in the May 10, 1954, Los Angeles Times reported:

Defacing of a billboard of Mildred Younger, candidate for state senator, aroused indignation among the candidate’s supporters yesterday.The billboard is in the vicinity of Figueroa St. and Sunset Blvd. and mud has been flung against it. The mischief stirred up members of the Hollywood Young Republicans, who, acting as individuals, announced that they would organize a cleanup committee.

“We don’t know who perpetrated this un-American action,” said Leonard Stout, president of the Hollywood Young Republicans.

“We Young Republicans are indignant over such low practices and that’s why we’re pledging ourselves to Mildred Younger to act as a cleanup crew,” he said. …

Mildred Younger passed away on Nov. 15, 2006. Her Los Angeles Times obituary reported that she “won the Republican primary despite her opponent's attempt to derail her candidacy by running a former mental patient named Hazel Younger against her.”

She lost the general election to Democrat Richard Richards by a slim margin.

From left in the above photo are Walter Fruewald, treasurer of the Hollywood Young Republicans; Doris Black, second vice president; Leonard Stout, president; and Betty Learned, first vice president.